Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
WORKING GROUP ON
CONSTRUCTION
FOR
(2007-2012)
Government of India
Planning Commission
New Dehi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY I – VIII
1. BACKGROUND 1 – 14
1.1 PREAMBLE
2. CRITICALITY TO ECONOMY 15 - 23
2.1 PREMISE
2.7 EMPLOYMENT
2.10 CONCLUSION
3.2.1 Employment
3.2.2.1 Cement
3.2.2.2 Steel
4. ISSUES 28 – 89
4.1.5 Insurance
4.5.1 LABOUR
4.7.1 Technology
4.7.4 Standards
4.10 TAXATION
5. RECOMMENDATIONS 89 – 93
9 LIST OF ANNEXURES
OFFICE MEMORANDUM NO. 18/3/2005/TPT DATED 27TH MARCH
ANNEXURE - 1 2006 – CONSTITUTION OF WORKING GROUP ON CONSTRUCTION IN
THE ELEVENTH FIVE -YEAR PLAN (2007-2012)
In the context of development of the Chapter on Construction in the 11th Plan document,
the Planning Commission constituted a Working Group vide their order No. 18/3/2005-
Tpt dated 27th March 2006. Dr. Anwar-ul Hoda, Member Planning Commission was
nominated as Chairman of the Working Group, which comprised of Senior
representatives of various Ministries for Government of India, Public Sector
Undertakings, Construction Companies, Industry Associations and Individual Experts
from Construction Industry. The Working Group was convened by Mr. P R Swarup,
Director General, Construction Industry Development Council, supported by several
Senior Experts drawn from Construction, Legal, Technical & other sub-sectors.
The introduction of Chapter on Construction in the National Plan was done in the 10th
Plan (2002-2007), and recognizing the importance of construction as a major economic
entity, it was decided to amplify the deliberations during the 11th Plan as well. India is
currently experiencing unprecendented economic growth. The government has put in
place policies which are generating over 8 % growth on average for the last 3 years. The
plans are on anvil to achieve 9-10 % annual growth rate in the next 5 years. This would
be the basis for generating the resources needed for the massive investments to be made
in development of Physical Infrastructure.
The 11th Plan envisages a consistent growth rate of 10% per annum in the final years, and
would need infusion of substantial capital, estimated at over Rs. 14.0 lakh crores. The
development of physical infrastructure, through such massive investments would need
commensurate growth in delivery potentials of Construction Industry.
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I. OBJECTIVES
a) Define construction as an important economic sector.
b) Establish and articulate the linkage of construction with other sectors of
economy & its influence thereon.
c) Assessing the quantum of work to be executed by the Construction Industry
and relating that to the existing capabilities and also the scope of expansion.
d) Identifying the impediments/bottlenecks restricting the capacity building
within the sector and setting examples of the initiatives being taken by all
stake holders to remove these.
e) Identifying core issues to be addressed to reduce/eliminate the time and cost
over runs being experienced in project execution.
f) Identifying the need to establish dedicated Institutions to facilitate the
capacity building of the Construction Industry, which has the credit of
encompassing the Governmental concerns, Industry Constituents, Financial
Institutions, Manufacturing Sector, Research & Academic Institutions and
also host of other service providers.
g) Suggest modifications in, & introduction of, latest & more efficient work
practices and the regulatory frame work influencing the functioning of
Construction Industry including modification and development of Legal
provisions in vogue. Formulate business friendly policy, develop insurance
instruments and aggressive marketing of Construction Industry
internationally.
h) Identifying the Human Resource needs to fulfill the tasks in hand and to
evolve an overall National policy for Human Resource Development (HRD).
Stipulate wide-spread use of trained labour as a prequalification condition in
all procurement process of construction work. Certain percentage of trained
and tested workers must be employed which could be increased over time.
i) Quality & Standardization and technology upgradation & cost reduction
issues
j) Issues related to Risk Mitigation, Disaster Management & Mitigation,
procurement practices, and several others.
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k) Policy framework relating to asset management and maintenance.
l) And other relevant issues
II APPROACH
It is note worthy to mention, that the present day Government having recognized
the need to develop and improve the overall physical infrastructure, is actively
taking appropriate measures to improve the functioning of Construction Industry.
Growth and development of the physical infrastructure is directly related to the
growth of the development of National Economy. Construction is inherent to
infrastructure development, and the objectives defined above were intensively
deliberated by the Working Group and many associated sub-groups. Keeping in
view the continued thrust in several sub-sectors of the physical infrastructure
such as, Transportation, Irrigation, Housing, Urban Utility, Civil Aviation,
Agriculture, Power Generation, Water Conservation & Management and Power &
Energy, the Working Group evolved major recommendations, which need to be
instilled in the National Plan.
The approach of the Working Group was focused towards the capability
building of Construction Industry, both in terms of quality and quantity to
handle the substantial work load, that is confronting the Construction Industry.
The major issues of challenge , therefore, were identified are:-
3) To improve and modify the regulatory systems & legal provision with a
view to develop an exclusive legal provision to administer the construction
business.
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4) To develop mechanism to ease the ingress of Institutional finance and inter-
alia evolution for systems for identification, profiling and mitigation of
business risks such as grading of construction entities and also introduce
quality certification such as ISO, BVQI systems in the overall procurement
system for better customer satisfaction.
7) To look into the issues related to alleviation of impact arising out of natural
disasters
The report of the Working Group was developed, using several important sources
for primary and secondary data, viz, CSO, NSS, Ministry of Statistics and
Program Implementation, Trade and Industry Organizations, and Research
Organizations, the expressions made by the National Leaders and information
collected through deliberations of other Working Groups contributing to building
of 11th National Plan.
III RECOMMENDATIONS
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i) Review of present procedures of procurement of projects & services
including dispute resolution mechanisms, and quality issues and evolve
measures for improvement, particularly in view of the increasing
privatization in infrastructure sector. The Working Group recommends
following:-
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e. To minimize “disputes” leading to time and cost overruns proper
project planning process should be encouraged and DPRs may be
completed before technical sanction.
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rural roads sector, there appears to be strong need for developing and
introducing use of “marginal materials” to enhance cost effectiveness of
works.
viii) Systems & Institutions should be developed for expansion of network for
project export and attracting more foreign investment. Interactions with
Indian Missions abroad , should be intensified, through evolution of an
Institutional mechanism.
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a. To develop the Human Resources in Disaster Mitigation and disaster
resistant construction technologies and
xvii) A national plan for insuring adherence to the Environment Protection Act
(2006) be developed and Energy Efficiency issues be addressed in conformity
to the Energy Conservation Act of 2001.
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VIII
1. BACKGROUND
1.1 PREAMBLE
Development of 10th National Plan (2002-2007) was the sure recognition of the
importance, having been accorded to construction, through introduction of a
dedicated chapter on Construction and to articulate following:
f) Suggest modifications in, & introduction of, latest & more efficient work
practices and the regulatory frame work influencing the functioning of
Construction Industry. Formulate business friendly policy, develop
insurance instruments and aggressive marketing of Construction
Industry internationally.
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g) Identifying the Human Resource needs to fulfill the tasks in hand and to
evolve an overall National policy for Human Resource Development
(HRD). Stipulate wide-spread use of trained labour as a prequalification
condition in all procurement process of construction work. Certain
percentage of trained and tested workers must be employed which
could be increased over time.
It was well established that the ambit of this activity, encompasses many
other sub-sectors of economy/Infrastructure development. These are:-
i) Generation of Employment
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ii) Provide sustainenance to Manufacturing and Agriculture sector.
During the course of implementation of the 10th Plan, great emphasis has been
laid on construction of physical infrastructure. Some of the areas receiving
special attention are:-
As the second largest economic activity, the influence of Industry spans across
several sub-sectors of economy & the stature has multi-dimensional posture.
The main characteristic feature of construction industry is a mix of organized
and unorganized players in all sub sectors right from construction workers to
Supervisors, Contractors and material manufactures / suppliers etc. To
capture some of the salient characteristic features to enable better & deeper
understanding, following matrix needs to be studied.
Matrix
5. Business Organization:
- Engaged in Direct construction
- Large Corporates
- Medium Size Companies
- Small Construction Firms (Unorganized)
Distribution of Contractors by Employment Size
2000 Enterprise
Number % age
1-200 persons 26700 96.15
200-500 persons 850 3.06
500 > persons 220 0.79
Total 27770 100.00
6. Status of HRD:
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7. Movement matrix of sub-sector in Construction Industry
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11. Database – Indifferent status, as a start up a Nation-wide MIS scheme
recommended.
12. Best Practices – Faster absorbing capacity displayed by Construction
Industry.
Suggestions / Models detailed in relevant chapters.
13. R & D Initiatives – Minimal, suggestion/models detailed in relevant
chapters.
14. Adherence to labour laws – Minimal, suggestion/ models detailed in
relevant chapters.
As can be seen from the above, the largest segment of Industry remains
unorganized in spite of several ongoing initiatives to instill good practices.
This has a profound effect on the overall performance and quality of delivery
of the end product, since, the performance of even those in “Organized
Sector” largely depends on those in Unorganized Sector”. This is due to the
fact that Construction Industry follows onward contract practices for
execution of works.
Substantial National resources are being spent on building the assets and
in the 11th Plan the pace of investment is going to enhance considerably
where over Rs. 14 lakh crore is expected to be spent in development of
Physical Infrastructure. The economy during the 11th Plan has some
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inherent strengths. Growth has been consistant at over 8% during past
years. Savings are @ 29 % of GDP and the investment rate is close to 31 %.
All this puts the economy on a stable pedestal and imparts inherent
strength to take larger strides. It is envisaged that the deficits observed in
agriculture sector would be bridged through contribution made by other
sectors of economy and construction, indeed, shall play a key role. Looking at
the present capability of delivery of Construction Industry, which is estimated
at Rs. 3.10 lakh Crores per year, based on the consumption of Cement and
other important constituents, the Industry would need to enhance the
deliveries substantially to meet the additional investment target of over Rs. 14
lakh crores.
Few of the notable milestones achieved during the period 2002-2006 are:-
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& Implementation of national Human Resource Development (HRD)
initiatives. in the non-formal sector, including the workers’ level to the
upper levels of engineering and management practices
& Improvement in procurement practices for the public sector, and also
development of regulatory manuals to ensure quick and effective
procurement procedures.
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and services, for efficient execution of the projects both within and
outside the country. Also to utilize such associations to avail of the
market share in overseas market.
A sure manifestation of such initiative could be guaged from the fact that the
time and cost over-run in execution of projects have dropped considerably
from 167 % average to 64%. (source: Ministry of Statistics and Program
Implementation).
Construction activities are considered as integral part of a country’s industry,
economy, employment and quality of life, which goes beyond, mere
development of physical infrastructure development plans, therefore, the
need to focus on this important issue and therefore ;these initiatives.
Several studies have been carried out in past, and the references have been
made in the report for the 10th National Plan. However, to recapitulate
following is the sequence of incidences of various study groups who
deliberated and contributed in past on the issues:
Phase I
& High level building projects team (BPT) set up in 1957 by Committee on
plan projects.
& Technical Panel was set up in 1968 to formulate guidelines for achieving
economy in construction costs
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& Several other bodies like National Building Organization (NBO) Central
Building Research Institute (CBRI), Building Materials and Technology
Promotion Council (BMTPC) were formed.
Phase II
Phase II i.e. post 1996 was the implementation phase where the Construction
Industry Development Council (CIDC) started implementing several project
proposals, which were mooted from time to time, as an outcome of the
deliberations of various Study Groups/Project Teams and Working Groups
defined above.
As we have noted during the 10th Plan a substantial ground work was
executed which resulted in a substantial reduction of time and cost over-run
in project execution, and also formation of several Institutions to build the
capabilities of the industry.
In order to sustain the momentum, and to further escalate the same, it was
envisaged to have an even more detailed dissertation leading to development
of 11th National Plan, for which a Working Group on Construction has been
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constituted by the Planning Commission to prepare a Report on Construction
for inclusion in the plan document. The constitution of the Working Group,
and the term of reference of working, are detailed in the Anexure 1 to this
report.
In order to develop these inputs a two prong strategy was followed, to obtain
the widest participation in the working group, to enable the working group to
cover a wide spectrum of issues. Apart from the main working group, which
was kept fairly wide, and included known experts drawn from all the
segments of the Construction Industry, representatives of Stake Holders,
several important Ministries, PSUs, SPVs, Financial Institutions, many other
Government Agencies, both at the Central and State Government level, and
the industry constituents, were advised to constitute subject and theme
specific sub-groups who could deliberate on the relevant topics, in
consonance with the terms of reference, of the main working group, and
provide the outcome of all their deliberations to the main working group for
further deliberation, and eventual inclusion the report. A list ;of such sub-
groups is enclosed as Annexure to this report.
As the second, but contiguous initiative, to intensify this initiative further, the
working group proposed to conduct a series of theme specific
workshops/seminars where the experts representing the theme specific were
invited to provide their valuable contribution towards making of the report.
A list of such workshops is enclosed as Annexure to this report.
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Background and overview of Construction Industry
This is the most crucial part of the report, where key variables /factors
impacting Construction Industry have been identified and studied. This part
also looks at other aspects and benchmarks to evaluate competitiveness/
strength of Construction Industry in India. The criteria set for including/
qualifying the sector as an industry, has been studied and compared with the
characteristics of industry.
Recommendations/agenda setting
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Backward Linkages
of Construction
Construction
Process
Forward Linkages
of Construction
Recommendations
The working group and also the dedicated sub-groups, thus focused on all the
salient features, defined in the terms of reference of the Working Group.
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2. CRITICALITY TO ECONOMY
2.1 PREMISE
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The major parameters of analysis are as follows:
At the end of each section, major findings have been summarized in the
conclusion. International benchmarking has been done with selected
countries, to compare the role of construction in other developed and
developing economies.
Looking at the sectoral divide, an overall stock, now, needs to be taken. For
the purpose of this analysis, following identified sub-sectors, are now being
taken in account.
It is estimated that, during the course of 11th Plan, substantial work on sub-
sectors at (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), (viii), (ix), (x) & (xi) would be executed.
In fact identifying only some of the major initiatives and estimating the
envisaged investments therein, give us an idea of target work load which
would need to be executed to meet the planned National Growth.
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(Rs. Crores)
This, however, is only partial list and does not account for other sectoral work
specially from Private Sector (Industry and others)
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- For Construction Materials : Rs. 495,000 crores
- For Construction Equipment : Rs. 180,000 crores
- Manpower : Rs. 108,000 crores
e) Detailed Requirements
(i) Materials (Major) :
- Cement : 381 Million tones
- Steel : 150 million tones
(ii) Manpower : 92 million man years
- Engineers 3.72 millon man years
:
- Technicians 4.32 millon man years
:
- Support Staff 3.65 millon man years
- Skilled 23.35 millon man years
Workers
- Unskilled/ 56.96 millon man years
Semi skilled
workers
The growth patterns for assessment of the trends have been determind on the
basis of following parameters.
¾ Volume trends
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¾ Sectoral analysis
At current prices, share of Gross Capital Formation (GCF) and Gross Fixed
Capital Formation (GFCF) in Gross Domestic Product has been increasing.
Though the share of capital formation in GDP increased, the share of
construction showed a decline in Gross Capital Formation, Gross Fixed
Capital Formation and in GDP, both at current prices and constant prices.
Quarterly Estimate of GDP for Quarter 1 (April – June) 2006-07 – Statement at
1999-2000 prices and at Current Prices is enclosed as Annexure 3.
Whereas until 1997 the share of public sector in gross fixed capital formation
and construction has been declining continuously, the share of housing
sector and private sector has been increasing. However, during the period
1997-2002 the same got stabilized and thereafter started showing a rising
trend. This happened mainly because of substantial investments in the areas
like transportation and rehabilitation of civic infrastructure, however, the
housing sector continued showing a declining trend as far as the public –
government investment is concerned where a larger involvement of private
sector is increasing.
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2.5 DEPLOYMENT OF GROSS BANK CREDIT IN CONSTRUCTION
In 1996, gross bank credit was RS. 2,31,860 crores, which increased to Rs.
2,58,991 crores in 1997, to Rs. 3,00,283 Crores in 1998, to Rs. 3,42,012 crores in
1999 and to Rs.4,00,818 in 2000. The share of industry in the gross bank credit
remained nearly the same over the three-year period (1996-98), from 53.9% in
1996 it declined marginally to 53.6% in 1998, 52.35%in 1999, 49.93% in 2000.
The share of construction in Gross Bank Credit, however, was 0.8% in 1996,
0.88% in 1998, 0.75% in 1999 and 0.68% in 2000. The share of construction in
credit employed in total industry was merely 1.36% in 2000. During the
period 2002-2006 there has been the record enhancement in the share of
construction industry, which rose to 4.87 %. It is noteworthy to mention that
the issue of lower credit limit was taken up by Reserve Bank of India with
Indian Banks Association in the context of building the physical
infrastructure, and several self reforms were recommended by the high
powered working group constituted by the Indian Banks Association in the
year 1998. The enhancement reflected above was an outcome of this initiative.
The share of construction in gross income and gross tax also showed a
sustained enhancement. The following table shows the yearly estimates to
demonstrate the trends:
2.7 EMPLOYMENT
As per the industry estimates the employment figures have shown a steady
rise and it is estimated that at present the construction industry employs 31.46
million personnel. Whereas these numbers are substantial, it is noteworthy
to mention that there has been a substantial decline in the value added
employment which is evident from following table.
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Numbers Numbers
Occupation (in 000s) % (in 000s) %
(1995) (2005)
Engineers 687 4.71 822 2.65
Te hnicians & Foreman etc. 359 2.46 573 1.85
Clerical 646 4.40 738 2.38
Skilled Workers 2,241 15.34 3,267 10.57
Unskilled Workers 10,670 73.08 25,600 82.45
Total 14,600 100.00 31,000 100.00
The end result is slow progress of work, rampant time and cost overruns, low
productivity & quality and eventually low value edition.
2.10 CONCLUSION
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3. LINKAGES WITH THE ECONOMY
3.1 BACKGROUND
3.2.1 Employment
One of the major components used for studying effect of construction in the
economy is employment. Employment, in the organized construction sector is
about 1.2 million citizen years/ year, however, after including employment
in the unorganized sector, it is estimated to be over 30 million. The
employment elasticity of construction with respect to GDP and growth rate of
employment in construction is also seen to be high. Construction has high
backward linkages, especially in the rural areas where it is a major
employment generator.
(a) It absorbs rural /seasonal labour
The other major backward linkages of construction are with the building
material manufacturing industry. Construction materials account for nearly
two-third of average the construction costs. The major construction materials
used in the Construction Industry are:
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& Cement
& Steel
& Bricks / Tiles
& Sand / Aggregates
& Fixtures / Fittings
& Paints & Chemicals
& Construction Equipment
& Petrol / Other Petro-products
& Timber
& Mineral products
& Aluminum, glass, plastics.
Since most of the material are either manufactured locally, in cottage or small
scale industry, database available for quantifying the exact nature of linkages
with construction is not very accurate. On the other hand, linkages of
products like paints and petro-products would again be difficult due to their
stronger linkages with other sectors. However, it can be safely assumed that
cement has very strong linkages with construction, followed by steel.
Almost 100% of cement production is consumed in construction and about
60 - 65% of steel production goes into construction. Based on the industry
analysis of cement and steel industry’s linkage with construction and the
inputs from CSO/NSS, backward linkages of construction have been studied.
3.2.2.1 Cement
Cement is one of the largest input into the Construction Industry. In 1989-90
the total consumption of cement was 45.41 million tonnes, which increased to
nearly 83 million tonnes by 1997-98. For the fiscal year 2000-2001, the
consumption has been 101 million tonnes. The compounded annual growth
rate for cement during this period was 7.68%. For the period 2001-2006 the
Annual average growth of consumption of cement has been 9 % with 132
million tones cement consumed in the year 2005-2006. (Source : Cement
Manufacturers Association Reports)
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3.2.2.2 Steel
Const-
Enabling Admin.
Materials ruction Labour Finance Profits
Expenses Expenses
Equipt.
CONSTRUCTION INTENSITY
Construction Intensity
(%)
Building 76
Roads 63
Bridges 65
Dams,etc. 75
Power 38
Railway 78
Mineral Plant 18
Medium Industry 20
Transmission 22
Urban Infrastructure 66
Maintenance 81
* Source : CIDC Survey
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4. ISSUES
The major challenge facing Construction Industry is to raise, its capabilities of
delivery, commensurate with the plan target . The development of
infrastructure would be unachievable and unsustainable, unless
construction industry raises the delivery potentials for which impediments
need to be removed and systemic changes are brought in.
The following sections detail out some of the major problem areas and issues
identified as a part of the report. The major findings have been summed up at
the end of the section.
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2. Preparing the prequalification / registration documentation and
obtaining the bids and /or
3. Inviting the techno-commercial bids through public notifications.
4. Evaluating the bids and awarding the work
& Moreover, the contract criteria of awarding works to the lowest cost
bidder also hinders in the process of adoption of better technology, best
practices and quality. This only results in cost cutting practices by
contractors, preventing passing on the benefits to the workers.
In order to have a better system of award, the focus, now, must shift to
“Effective Lowest Price” from the “Lowest Price” syndrome Grading of
Construction Entities, may be adopted as an effective tool to determine the
Effective Lowest Price. The practice is in vougue in Singapore, as adopted
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by the Ministry of National Development, Government of Singapore, and
may be suitably transformed and adopted for Indian situations
The base benchmark for assessment of the effective price is the grading /
rating score of any agency. Normally 15 stages of grades / rates adopted to
define the prowesses of an entity with Highest grade being allotted a
moderation factor of 1.0.
For selection of an agency the project owner can decide the cut off grade
(Normally not 4 stages lower than the highest sought grade) for each grade, a
reverse premium is determined. Say for highest 1.0, second highest 0.98, third
highest 0.96 and so on, thus granting an equalization premium of about 8%
when compared between the highest and lowest acceptable grade.
Example
Agency Quoted Price Grade Reverse Premium Lowest
effective
price
A2 99 H2 0.98 101
A3 98 H3 0.96 102
A4 97 H4 0.94 102
Using the premises of Effective lowest price Agency A1 is declared lowest,
whereas if the conventional method is adopted A1 is the highest price bidder.
This principle is applicable in case of CONQUAS Evaluation System, as
detailed in Chapter 4.7.4.
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The Standard Contract Document for Domestic Bidding as adopted by Govt.
of India, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation circulated as
Guidelines for preparing proper contract documents has also partly adopted a
similar practice. In these guidelines weightage has been provided as a
condition “to qualify for award of the Contract” where a Minimum Grade
under CIDC-ICRA grading, interalia, is one of the important conditions for
Qualification. While evaluating and comparing various ‘Bids’ the Employer
would take into account the minimum grade depending on the nature and
size of project.
& The contract provisions also do not have focus on rewarding better
performance of execution agencies. A system of incentives for timely
completion and better performance needs to integrated in procurement
procedures by all public agencies.
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& Last, but not the least, proper code of ethics, and adherence to good
work and business practices, does not exist. Such situation leads to low
value addition, apart from lower image of the Industry.
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The suggestions made above can reduce time and costs in the procurement
process and enhance the transparency. With latest IT Act in place and e-
signatures legally valid, the suggestions are feasible.
Construction Industry being the largest asset creator and second largest
component of the economy having unique dynamics of business it is crucial
that disputes be resolved speedily to minimize the business losses and
capital blocked due to delayed and Ad-hoc process of dispute resolution.
Till the enactment of Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996, the process of
Arbitration was totally Ad-hoc. The 1996 Act has provided for Institutional
Arbitration mode, and has no doubt taken some bold initiatives attempting to
provide an effective framework for resolution of disputes without depending
on the overburdened judicial system of the country. It has, to some extent,
addressed the concerns arising out of globalization of business. However, the
need has been widely felt to develop and set up in position the Institutional
frameworks which can effectively tackle the hard-care problems of time and
cost of the arbitration proceedings. Unfortunately in the absence of
nationwide consensus the arbitration process continues to be predominantly
Ad-hoc leading to a situation that as of 2001 (CIDC survey), the amount of
capital blocked in construction sector disputes was over Rs. 54,000 crores.
This is an ironic situation particularly due to the fact that a large number of
projects are of national importance and country is keen to be a major player in
the globalised economy and to have world class infrastructure.
Ad-hoc Arbitration
Since the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996 came into force, there is
certainly an improvement in the number of disputes resolved. However, a
number of grey areas remain which are being looked into by the Law
Ministry. Experience for last one decade no doubt highlights the fact that the
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mechanism is certainly an improvement over the earlier practices, but it has
not been possible to mitigate problems in the critical areas. It has been noted
that there is an increasing tendency to appeal on grounds of “misconduct” on
the part of arbitrators particularly taking the view that they are not being
approved by any responsible organization. This has added to the delays in
the arbitration process which are increasingly resulting in time and cost over-
runs of projects. Yet another grey area pertains to non-availability of clearly
defined eligibility criteria and code of ethics with the appointing authority.
Eligibility criteria for Arbitrators is not fully transparent and does not follow
defined code of conduct.
One of the major reasons attributed to the poor effectiveness of the Ad-hoc
Arbitration process is that at the time of signing the arbitration agreement, the
owner insists on having arbitrators from among its own serving or retired
officers or a panel with which it has some direct or indirect association. While
this works in a large number of cases where the real intent of both sides is
generally to reach an agreement, this also provides grounds for resorting to
judicial remedies after the award is given.
Institutional Arbitration
In view of the deficiencies of the Ad-hoc arbitration system, it has been a long
felt need of the construction industry to introduce new measures so that
disputes are resolved in a fair, speedy and cost efficient manner. In
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accordance with thre IAA 1996, there exists now, the provision of resolving
disputes through Institutional Arbitration mode. The main objective for such
an effort is to develop and place in position an Institutional Arbitration
system. The main features of such a system are –
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most cases is Government) and contractors, suppliers, consultants etc. both
from public and private sectors. Decision making, is a complicated process
which is another area of critical importance in planning, design and execution
of construction works.
Since cost implications of construction projects are generally huge and mostly
pertain to spending of funds from public exchequer, Government through,
their vigilance administration, has always been concerned with the issue of
evolving and implementing guidelines for the procedures, methods, to be
followed at different stages of planning, project formulation, tendering,
decision making and implementation including acceptance of completed
works etc., in order to ensure that at every stage, duties and functions are
performed by concerned officials and subordinate functioneries in a manner
which does not give rise to wrongful practices of favoritism and spending
leading to corruption or wastage of government funds.
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approval system, building products, components and techniques are accepted
by the architects, engineers and builders with some reservations since they
may involve calculated risks under conditions of use, in relation to
performance and durability.
4.1.5 Insurance
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Insurance Industry in India, has remained under state control for a long time,
and enjoyed protection. With the opening up of insurance to private sector,
as a part of globalization and liberalization process in India, the Insurance
Industry is confronted with both challenges as well as the opportunities.
With per capita insurance premia in India estimated as 7 US$ per annum, the
Industry is slated to grow at a phenomenal pace, if it is compared with other
countries e.g. Malaysia US$219 per annum, U.S.A. US$ 2400 per annum.
Such growth can come about with the development of new and innovative
Insurance products and services. It is also important to understand that apart
from mobilizing the much needed capital, which may be employed in
Infrastructure development, being a long term fund, Insurance funds are an
imminent necessity to provide the security network to cover risks. Well
designed Insurance services, therefore would provide following.
Suggestions
Phase – I
Development of Research Educational and Training Programmes in Actuarial
Sciences.
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Development of service providers and the Insurance companies, who can
offer relevant risk coverage innovative instruments.
Phase – II
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10. Employer’s Liability Act, 1938
11. Employer’s Sate Insurance Act, 1948
12. Employees Provident Funds Act, 1952
13. Maternity Benefits Acts, 1961
14. Payment of Wages Act, 1936
15. Motor Transport Workers, Act, 1951
16. Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970
17. Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972
18. Apprentices Act, 1961
19. Equal Remuneration Act, 1976
20. Minimum Wages Act, 1948
21. Payment of Bonus Act, 1965
22. Weekly Holidays Act, 1942
23. Collection of Statistics Act, 1953
24. The Inter-State Migrant Labour (Regulation of Employment and
Conditions of Service) Act, 1973
25. The Building and Construction Workers (Regulation of
Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996
26. The Building and other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Act,
1996
27. The Employees Provident Fund and Misc. Provisions
(Amendment) Act, 1996.
Recognising the problems of long felt need for a single window type of
arrangement and dealing with multiple laws, and authorities, by construction
entities the Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC) has mooted
the idea of formulating a unified law for the construction industry to enable
formation of a one authority which can oversee compliance of various
requirements by construction companies.
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1. Preliminary
- Arbitration
7 Other Provisions
9. Miscellaneous
- Offences by companies
- Cognizance of offence ;under this act
- Members, officers, etc. of appropriate commission to be public
servants.
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A perceptible shift in the skill demography is amplified in article 2.6
Employment, which depicts the decline in the share of skilled work persons
and a continuing shortage of other levels of manpower employed with the
Construction Industry. To meet the demand of trained and certified workers
there is an urgent need to introduce a system of ‘Graded Certification’
commensurate with proficiency levels. It may be necessary to develop some
short-term courses for certain trades where ITIs have long duration courses.
Identifying the main causes of the impediments coming in way of improving
the availability of trained man-power, following could be stated.
a) Workers
b) Engineers
(ii) Low level of earnings for professionals, due to very rigid and
traditional Industry norms, arising out of the output with low
value addition. There is a need, therefore, to regulate adequate
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intake of civil engineers in engineering institutions to mitigate
existing shortage.
c) Contractors/Entrepreneurs
Some of the PSUs like NPCIL etc. during their consultative group
meetings in connection with 11th plan, have conveyed lack of adequate
number of contractors for their projects. In several cases specialized
contractors with proficiency in specified nature projects are required.
These PSUs have even recommended setting up a few contractors’
training institutions. This would also help in repeated demand that
entry into construction industry should be restricted to qualified
people.
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d) Entrepreneurs for the manufacturing sub-sector
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quality and safety Assessors for enhancement of capabilities of the
Indian Construction industry.
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It is proposed, therefore to create a dedicated fund for HRD in
Construction Industry and a National Plan on HRD be developed.
g) Engineering Profession
The next major issue needing attention is, continuous skill upgradation
and reversing the attrition of Engineers from the Construction
Industry.
It is proposed that an Engineers Bill be enacted to look into issues of
professional development of practicing engineers and Industry be
encouraged through some tax incentives, which could be availed for
HRD initiatives launched by them.
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& Small contractors who lack financial base and access to any kind of
institutional support execute over 90% of the total construction works. A
vast majority of these contractors employ their own funds or borrow
money from the gray market, borrowing at the rate of 30% p.a. or higher,
leading to higher project costs and therefore higher user charges.
& Moreover, existing financial institutions and banks need to adopt proper
lending, and also the unified eligibility criteria norms for the borrowers
from construction sector. Also, lack of clarity on behalf of FI’s and banks
coupled with poor perception of the industry also makes the task of
arranging finance for construction difficult. Looking at the substantial
volumes, it is incumbent, that conscious deliberations must take place to
study such issues and suitable modifications/alterations are instituted.
& Construction companies and contractors have very unique and complex
financing requirement. Adoption of manufacturing industry norms for
computing working capital requirement and other financing
requirement leads to high financing costs and very often delays and
cumbersome process, which in turn leads to additional cost burden.
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& Further, contractors suffer due to erratic payments by the owner client.
The system of payments to the contractor itself is biased against the
contractor.
& Though construction companies receive payment for initiating the work
but in terms of cash-flow analysis, financial outgo on executing the work,
precedes the stage of billing and payment (approx. only 10% comes as
advance against an expenditure of about 30% in the first phase.)
Ever since the Country embarked on the path of liberalizing the economy,
construction of physical Infrastructure has been receiving emphasis in
successive five year Plans. It is estimated that about Rs. 310,000 crores are
being spent annually in constructing the Assets, may they be in Housing,
Transport, Energy, Communication, irrigation and Agriculture sector. But,
these assets are seldom maintained properly.
d.) Lack of right-scale maps/GIS data base indicating the location of assets.
In order to maintain the publicly owned estates & properties, the system
being followed in other countries is as follows.
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a) Financial – Levies of maintenance surcharge based on
actual market price assessment, collectable from the
occupying agencies.
b) Management – Through specialized professional service
providers on term contract basis.
c) Bye-laws – The Civic Authorities stipulate, the provision,
inspect, & penalize violators.
In certain cases, where float situations arise (Vacant occupancy), the
developer / owner, creates a dedicated solatium fund.
4.5.1 LABOUR
& At present there are only two categories of labourers, agriculture and
industrial, which in most cases does not effectively meet the needs of
construction labour.
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& There are scores of labour laws as detailed in Clause 4.2 that are
applicable to construction, but these are seldom implemented. Instead
they give rise to multiplicity and corruption.
& Lack of framework and clarity has resulted in under reporting of labour
employed for construction activity. According to some estimates, only
20% of actual workers are reported.
& Dues to the highly unorganized nature of employment, the workers are
also not given the statutory provident funds and other benefits, which
should be available to them. In almost all the cases, the existing system
of labour contract hurts the labour welfare component. It also hinders
better technology adoption (as labour is cheap) and skill upgradation of
the workers due to lack of training entities and any regulatory frame
work for employing certain percentage of trained labour. Low
technology and low skill levels not only increase the inefficiences of the
construction sector but also lead to low value addition, productivity and
quality.
& Whereas the benefit of P.F. contribution to the Construction Workers has
been extended, in practical terms the workers are not able to use this.
& The similar situation exists,; in case of employing the proceeds of the
Construction Workers Welfare Cess, now being collected by the State
Governments, since enactment of CWWA 1996.
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As regards the upper levels, it is also to be understood that majority of the
educational programmes of engineers being offered, have no back up of
continuing professional development. The second malady, with which the
Industry has to live with, is the migration of qualified Civil Engineers to fields
such as IT. As a result, the real numbers of engineers available to
Construction Industry, are rather low and inadequate. Then, there are issues
of Women Workforce which constitutes approximately 49 % of total labour
strength and continues to render services without avenues of growth.
Child Workers : It is hearting to note that the present day employers have
refrained, consciously to recruit and employ Child Workers. Still there are
stray cases in hinterland and it is advised to step up and enhance the
vigilance levels for eradicating this menace.
At present except for a few initiatives taken up by CIDC and some corporates,
there is no institutional framework to impart training at workers-level.
& The Construction Industry affords very low returns for qualified
professional, which is increasingly leading to decline in professional and
trained manpower in the industry. This will in turn effect the overall
capacity of Construction Industry in India in long run.
& Initiatives taken by National Highway Authority of India and the State
Government of Madhya Pradesh to introduce a prequalification
requirements regarding mandatory employment of 5% strength of
workers, who are tested and certified, in this direction, is a welcome step
which needs to be replicated else where.
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4.5.2 SAFETY ISSUES OF CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
Although the provisions of certain Central Acts are applicable to the workers
in construction industry, yet a need has been felt for a comprehensive Central
Legislative for regulating their safety, health and welfare and other conditions
of service. The State Governments and UT Administrations were consulted in
the matter and majority of them had favoured such a legislation.
Consequently the Building and other Construction Workers (Regulation of
Employment and Conditions of Service) Act was promulgated after being
passed by both the Houses of Parliament and having received the assent of
the President on 19th August 1996.
This, inter alia provides for nearly all matters relating to safety, health,
welfare and service conditions of building and Construction Workers. The Act
extends to the whole of India and applies to every establishment which
employs or had employed on any day of the preceding twelve months, ten or
more building workers in any building or other Construction Work.
Only four states in initial years, had set up welfare boards provided under the
above Act. While 9 other states (including Uts) had set up Expert Committees
to frame rules. However it is seen that in the absence of an administrative
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mechanism provided under the Act resources could not be collected from
Construction Contractors for implementation of schemes like immediate
assistance to beneficiaries in case of accidents, pension at age of 60 yrs,
premiums for group insurance and medical expenses etc.
4.6 PRODUCTIVITY
The present state of Construction Industry suffers from the poor state of
technology. This aspect has been the one of the most debated topics in the
Construction Industry. Various committees and experts have given many
recommendations, but unfortunately technology in Construction Industry in
India remains lagging behind in comparison to other countries and also to
various sectors in the Indian economy itself. It is important that National
Strategy and policy framework focused on productivity enhancement of
construction industry lays emphasis and include facilitating measures for
induction of new technology, materials and construction systems and
materials based on waste recycling need to be increasingly promoted. In
order to reduce cost of works in rural roads sector, it is important to develop
and use “marginal materials” instead of traditional costly materials.
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Inefficiencies, wastage and low value added arise at two fronts, technology of
construction material manufacturing and technology of construction itself.
& Demand for high technical and high value addition in the construction
can only be driven by the owners of the project. Due to price sensitive
owners there is no incentive for the contractor to adopt better technology
of construction. Technology in most cases is owner driven.
Also, low technology in the industry as a whole also leads to higher social and
environmental costs. There is need, therefore, to adopt the life-cycle-costing
approach in selection of technology for specific works.
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On a comparable scale, the investment in R&D in construction
technologies in India as compared to technologically advanced countries is
abysymal. Following matrix highlights our stature in this area vis-à-vis the
advanced Nations.
Tier 1. U.S.A. / West European Nations / Australia – 4-6% of investment in
construction
Tier 2. Central European / S.E. Asian Countries - 1.5-2% of investment
in construction
Tier 3. Asian Countries (SAARC Region) - 0.03-0.05% of
investment in
construction.
Source : (Asia Construct 2003 Report)
Issues surrounding the use of electronic communications affect all five levels
in different ways and it would seem that the strategic and technological co-
ordination of all five levels is essential for the successful use of IT for a
national industry.
Due to the fact that the construction activities in the Nation, are being handled
by multifarious agencies, having no cross linkages for the flow of information,
its storage, and the mining for the sake of better planning, a National Data
Base, using IT techniques, must be created.
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& IT strategies within organizations and groups, ranging from the level of
the individual firm to a consortium of firms to national construction
industries.
& Construction process and enterprise modeling including procurement
practices.
& Reengineering of the construction process using IT as an enabling
technology
& Methods of concurrent engineering
& IT-supported communication across or within disciplines and life cycle
stages (hypermedia, Internet, videoconferencing etc.)
& Databases, translation methodologies, remote communication between
programs, shared object libraries and other computing techniques for
data exchange and sharing
& Technologies and standards for the digital representation of buildings
(building product models)
& Standards for structuring and exchanging data in the construction
process (building classification systems, EDI messages, CAD-layering,
document management, representation of building regulations,
component libraries)
& The use of IT-based techniques for problem solving in construction
(expert systems and AI, case-based reasoning, simulation, neural
networks, the genetic algorithm etc.)
& Computerization of building standards, codes and regulations.
& Distance learning of IT in construction engineering using IT itself.
The Act may alleviate current concerns about electronic communications and
thus lead to cost and time savings.
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drive towards economic growth, modernization and globalization of
economy, and self reliance in various areas of economic activity.
The detailed notification of 14th September 2006 provide the guidelines for
approval by the Central Government and State Level Assessment Authorities
(SEIAA) based on the Environmental Impact Assessment and categorization
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of projects and activities including relating to construction requiring
approvals by Government of India and SEIAA.
Most of the provisions related to EIA in vogue in the countries, who are the
signatories of Kyoto Protocol, are governed by the protocol stipulation suiting
the local exigencies. Protocol details are appended. In many countries where
Environmental Laws have been enacted. All projects over a certain size are
automatically required to conduct studies, provide estimates, and perform at
their own expense, EIA for their projects before initiating activities on ground.
The new law for example in Japan marks a watershed in the history of
environmental conservation because it requires that the assessment
procedures include mechanisms for ensuring that the views of local residents,
inter alia, are reflected in the assessment. Like this many other counties have
already enacted key environmental legislation keeping EIA a pre-condition
before construction projects beyond stipulated size are approved.
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- Environmental management during implementation phase and post
completion phase.
- Technology transfer, and identification and delivery to the concerned
entities/enterprises.
In view of the above the need for stake holders of the construction industry is
to play a much larger role in making responsible contribution to the formation
of public policy about technology, human resource development, and creating
awareness about sustainable development.
4.7.4 Quality
Quality in construction works is one of the biggest casualties for which there
are number of reasons, such as lack of incentives for inducting new
technology, lack of pre-qualification requirements for trained and certified
workmen, lack of appreciation for life cycle costing approach, lack of R&D
and multi-source taxation which causes opacity and adds to overall cost of
procurement eventually leading to hinderence in adoption of new
technologies. It is therefore important that to make Indian Construction
Industry more competitive all issues relating to enhanced quality in
construction products are given serious attention at all levels.
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Construction Quality Assessment System (CONQUAS) as practiced in
Singapore
As a de facto national quality yardstick for the industry, CONQUAS has been
periodically fine-tuned to keep pace with changes in technology and quality
demands of more sophisticated Singaporeans.
The scheme covers three main aspects of the general building works:
1. Structural works – covers the structural integrity and helps to safeguard
the interest of building occupants in relation to safety.
2. Architectural works – deals with the aesthetic of the building such as
finishes and components. This is the part where the quality and standard
of workmanship are most visible.
3. Mechanical & Electrical (M & E ) works – concerns with the performance
of selected mechanical and electrical services and installations to ensure
the comfort of the building occupants.
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CONQUAS only assesses workmanship of completed projects. It does not
cover defects that appear after the period of handover or during the defect
liability period. Such defects cannot be foreseen during construction.
Therefore, CONQUAS does not assess on the possibility of future defects.
Many of the BBA test facilities are formally accredited by the United Kingdom
Accreditation Service (UKAS). The accreditation underlines the BBA’s
commitment to the highest levels of accuracy in the test procedures and is yet
another reason why products approved by BBA can be selected with
confidence by specifiers and purchasers. BBA technical staff also visits sites
where products under evaluation are being installed. This enables the BBA to
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provide valuable information in conjunction with the manufacturer and
installers on items like transportation, storage, fixing, maintenance and
durability.
One important aspect of this scheme is that every Agre’ment Certificate gives
a statement on product durability, either in years or as a factor of the
anticipated life of a building in which product might be incorporated.
Under the scheme, the evaluation of the production facilities is carried out
early in the assessment so that any areas of concern will be rectified at that
point. The BBA expects a formal and documented quality system to be in
operation of production facilities. Product manufacture is monitored
throughout the life of an Agre’ment Certificate, usually twice a year and more
intensively at the end of each 3 year period during the formal Review
procedure (which varies from 3 to 5 yrs). It is this thoroughness and rigour of
examination that has helped to give the BBA and its Agre’ment Certificates
the high reputation it holds among all those involved in selection or
acceptance of building products.
The BBA’s Agre’ment Certification Scheme has been in operation for over 40
years and over 4000 Agre’ment Certificates have been issued. For emerging
products and technologies, BBA also can carry out Prototype Product
Assessment, though this is not titled as Agre’ment Certificate.
4.7.5 Standards
Construction sector being one of the highest consumers of energy and natural
resources was expected to address the issues at environment impact and
energy efficiency.
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organization under the patronage of the Planning Commission bringing all
stakeholders on a common platform.
The Governments at Central and State level have set the Central Pollution
Control Board and State Pollution Control Boards, to approve, monitor and
regulate the projects from all sectors including construction sector for their
impact of environment.
In 2001, Government of India brought out the Energy Conservation Act 2001
passed by both the houses of parliament and established a Bureau of Energy
Efficiency (BEE) in pursuant to the Act to promote concepts and technologies
for efficient use of energy and its conservation.
Thus from the foregoing it is seen that Government has taken several
important initiatives during past two decades for development and
promotion of Green Construction in order to achieve energy efficiency and
increasingly greater use of eco-friendly construction technologies.
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efficiency, healthy buildings and materials, ecologically and socially sensitive
land use, transportation efficiency, and strengthened local economics and
communities. Under National Bankers Mission, for example, the Government
is funding establishment of bamboo mat-making centres and giving training
to local women workers in bamboo growing areas of North-eastern States of
India. These Centres are expected to supply the bamboo mats for further
processing at industrial unit for production of bamboo mat corrugated sheets
for roofing of buildings. This is an example, where promotion of eco-friendly
construction materials and technologies are strengthening the skill up-
gradation and employment generation activities, ultimately leading to
economise development of local communities. This is an example where
public and private partnership has generated economic and environmental
benefits of green building practices.
Governments at Central, State and Local levels should also encourage use
of Green Construction materials and planning and design concepts. The
Government should also consider giving fiscal incentives for use of
building materials produced from recycling of wastes and by-products
from agricultural, forestry and industrial operations.
Indian Construction Industry had been very active in the overseas market,
especially the Gulf in the decades of seventies and eighties, when Indian
companies ventured out to fill the demand for construction activities, fuelled
by oil boom. Between 1975-80, Indian companies handled construction work
worth nearly U.S $ 5 billion. Out of this nearly U.S $ 1.5 billion was
repatriated back to India, mainly in the form of profits, wages and
construction material exported abroad.
But this trend did not last, and by mid and late eighties the volume of
contracts secured, fell down sharply. From U.S. $443 million in 1986-87 the
contracts came down to just US $ 98 million in 1995-96. Though this was
mostly due to the prevalent political situation in the Gulf region, even then it
was a major drop for the industry. Performance displayed during subsequent
years have been shown in terms of dollar prices (taking into account the
Rupee) Anexure – 7 of this report. The major reasons for this indifferent
performance are stated by the Construction Industry, as follows–
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a) Trade in materials and positioning of domestic manufacturing Industry
vis-à-vis the import regulations.
b) Intellectual property rights and the patenting systems in India, their
reciprocal recognition and mutual acceptance for the patents filed by the
domestic agencies.
c) Designing the entry requirements of the service providers.
d) Insurance and financing regulations and their reciprocal relationship of
systems in vogue in other countries.
e) Dispute resolution mechanism.
f) Environmental laws.
Since the rules of the game are being written and rewritten to meet
the exigencies, as they arise, enhanced role of an apex body such as
CIDC, to continuously work on such issues is also paramount.
As reported, the financial strength, both at the Corporate and also at the
Institutional financing level, has to be revamped. It is a well known fact, that
this is the most powerful lever used to swing the businesses world over,
coupled with the regulatory framework.
Issues Initiatives
A. Regulatory i) Development of a Construction Business act.
Framework
ii) Development of an Engineering Council of
India.
i) Development of an Arbitration Council
4.1 0 TAXATION
The second major problem is that of very high incidence of direct and indirect
taxes for construction and construction related activities, as compared to other
sectors. High taxation is at both the ends, the input stage (construction
material, equipment and land and services) and at the process stage (work
contract tax) etc.
& Excise on cement and steel, most important inputs into construction
activity are one of the highest in the country. Average taxation rate for
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cement and steel works out between 45.6 to 61% and 35.40% respectively
(the variations are due to different tax regimes in different states.)
& In addition to the excise and sales tax the other taxes that are levied are
octroi and entry tax, further increases the cost of the project.
& Works contract tax including fabrication and civil construction is also to
be paid on the process of construction, which is another 4-5%.
& Further, stamp duty on land acquisition and registration has to be paid
that, again increases the cost of the project.
& Depreciation norms do not reflect the actual consumption of plant and
machinery and hence, further indirectly increase the costs and hinder the
construction activity and improving efficiencies. Earlier, the depreciation
rate on equipment was 33%, which has now been reduced to 25%. An
important aspect, which needs to be understood is the conditions of
operation of the equipment . Unlike factory operations, construction
equipment operates in more severe conditions, and without the benefit
of controlled working conditions. Construction equipment thus
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depreciates faster and, therefore this aspect needs to be considered while
deciding depreciation rates.
& Nearly 15% of the project cost of an infrastructure project goes towards
indirect taxes and another 20-30% is the direct tax component on the
inputs like material and equipment. This coupled with income
and/corporate taxes adds significantly to the cost of the construction and
hence the cost of projects.
& Moreover, along with high taxation rates for construction, there are no
incentives that are available to Construction Industry in terms of tax
benefits and other fiscal benefits. Even in terms of project exports,
manufacturing sector gets 100% deduction from export business u/s
80HHC whereas construction gets only 50% deduction.
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With advancement in science and technology for predictions, warning and
managing the impact of natural hazards it is now possible to shift our reliance
from traditional crude methods of surveying and mapping of hazardous area
to the use of modern powerful tools like digital cameras and devices that
straight away delivery maps of very high resolution. The GPS provides a
powerful tool to monitor even inaccessible locations all over the globe. There
are also very reliable early warning systems based on actual measurements
using reliable and powerful sensors.
Although the monetory volume of such activities annually, (with the present
work load 2006 level) should be close to Rs. 35,000 crores, the value of services
being rendered by the Indian Consultants is but only a small fraction. (In the
range of Rs. 6000 crores).
This reflects a severe weakness in our overall system and needs substantial
strengthening. Following reasons could be attributed.
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It is noteworthy to mention that the average output of a Consultancy
Organization in India, is estimated at US $ 10,000/- per person, whereas his
counterpart ;in other South-Eastern Asian Nations generates US $ 22,500/-
and those in developed countries, (United States and Western Europe) would
generate US $ 55,000/- p.a.
The lower productivity, results in being able to hire relatively low skilled
manpower, thereby being able to execute the lower end of the work.
It is therefore proposed to work on the grey areas defined above and evolve
a work plan accordingly.
At the end, there is no unified and well defined framework under which
the Construction Industry is expected to function. There are no identified
agencies that regulate and constantly monitor the functioning of the
Construction Industry.
SUMMARY
There are many major factors which restrain the Construction Industry and
because of which the industry is caught in a vicious circle, the major issues are
detailed above, which create impediments needing correction. The summary
table given below, gives a bird’s eye-view of the issues and resultants.
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ISSUES ELEMENTS RESULTS
Project Export Lack of synchronization among stake holders Poor showing in global
markets
Taxation High incidence of direct and indirect taxes High cost of operation
Multi-tier tax regime
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ISSUES ELEMENTS RESULTS
Construction No lending norms/no institutional financial
Finance support (application of norms developed for High cost of finance
manufacturing sector) and operation
5 RECOMMENDATIONS
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i) Review of present procedures of procurement of projects & services
including dispute resolution mechanisms, and quality issues and evolve
measures for improvement, particularly in view of the increasing
privatization in infrastructure sector. The Working Group recommends
following:-
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e) To minimize “disputes” leading to time and cost overruns proper
project planning process should be encouraged and DPRs may be
completed before technical sanction.
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vii) An appropriate Management Information System should be developed
and implemented at National, Provincial and Local levels for
construction industry.
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Indices and impact of policies of other sectors having impact on cost of
construction works.
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6. SCHEMATIC PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTATION MECHANISM
CIDC
In formulating the role of the Industry nodal agency, special attention would need to be
given to:
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7. THE PROPOSED SYSTEM
Training and An integrated National Plan for training and Government/Construction Cos./ Government,
Certification of certification of Human Resources covering all levels Contractors/Project Owners/ Industry Nodal
Construction of Workers, Supervisors, Professionals, Contractors, Construction Workers/ Professionls Agency
Personnel Entrepreneurs should be developed
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ISSUES RECOMMENDATIONS STAKEHOLDER ACTOR /
RESPONSIBILI
TY
Construction Institutionlised system of grading of construction Government/Project Owners/ Credit Rating
Finance companies, Project Owners, Consultants and Developers/Construction Cos./ Agencies,
projects should be adopted. Financial Institutions/Lenders Industry Nodal
Agency, Govts.
Formation of lending loans for construction Project Owners/Developers/ Banks / IBA,
industry by Banks, Financial Institutions, Construction Cos./Contractors/ Industry Nodal
Construction Companies to be graded Financiers/Lenders Agency
comprehensively for accessing Bank/Financial
Institutions.
Establishment of construction bank Project Owners/Developers/ Government/
Construction Cos./Contractors/ RBI/ Bankers,
Financiers/Lenders Industry Nodal
Agency
Formulation of specific funding for the same to Project Owners/Construction Cos./ Bankers,
raise the requirement of construction industry. Developers/Financiers / Lenders Industry Nodal
Agency
Construction Single window type of arrangement to deal with Government/Other stake holders of Government
Law multiple laws and authorities should be formulated. the Construction Industry. Ministry of
Law Justice
and Fompany
Affairs
Unified law for construction industry to enable Government (Regulatory Bodies)/ Government
function of one authority should be considered for Construction Cos. / Ministry of
overseeing various requirement of construction Contractors/Project Authorities/ Law Justice
companies Financiers/ Lenders and Fompany
Affairs
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ISSUES RECOMMENDATIONS STAKEHOLDER ACTOR /
RESPONSIBILI
TY
Asset Mainten- Policy frame work to ensure mandatory provisions Central, Stae & Local Governments/ Governments,
ance for maintenance of assets supported by technology Owners/Stake Holders/Financial Central/State –
funding and trained manpower. Institutions/Lenders UTs, Local
Bodies
Management Frame work for financial provisional and local level Central, State and Local Central/State
Information Management Information System for construction Governments/Financial Institutions UTs/Local
System industry should be developed and implemented/ /Owners/Community at large Governments
Project Export Systems and Institutions be developed for Government/Construction Industry Government
and Foreign expansion of net work for project export and / Large Construction cos./ Workers Ministry of
Investment foreign investments. Foreign Affairs
Ministry of
Industry and
Commerce.
Registration of National nodal agency be identified / set up for Government/ Project Owners/ Government
Professional registration of Engineers Professionals / Consultants/
Engineers Construction Industry at large.
Taxation Rationalise taxes on construction material, Cement & Steel Manufacturers Government
specifically cement and steel. Construction Comp./contractors
Project owners / developers
Import duty exemption / reduction for construction Construction Comp./contractors Government
equipment, on par with the power sector (to be Project owners / developers
treated as infrastructure sector)
Tax incentives for setting up high technology Industrialists Government
Construction equipment manufacturing plants Construction Comp./contractors
Project owners / developers
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ISSUES RECOMMENDATIONS STAKEHOLDER ACTOR /
RESPONSIBILI
TY
Application of same norms and benefits to Construction Comp./contractors Government
construction as provided to manufacturing units, in Project owners / developers
terms of:
Deduction in profits
Backward area benefits
Credit facilities
Tax relief for employment generation
Project exports
Tax benefits for construction equipment lease Construction Comp./contractors Government
finance industry development Project owners / developers
Tax relief for financing skill upgradation of workers Construction Comp./contractors Government
Natural Various stake holders of construction industry Government/Owners/ Regulatory Government
Disasters should adhere these standards and codes for Bodies/Bureau of Indian MHA, National
disaster resistant technologies Standards/Builders/Developers / Disaster
Contractors/ Financiers/ Lenders Mitigation &
Management.
Authority
Guidelines issued/to be issued by Natural Disaster Government/Owners/ Regulatory Government,
Management Authority to be adhered to in all Bodies/Bureau of Indian Construction
construction projects. Standards/Builders/Developers / Companies in
Contractors/ Financiers/ Lenders Public /
Private Sectors
Integrated plan of action be formulated for set up of Government/Owners/ Regulatory Governments
disaster identification centres and retrofitting clinics Bodies/Bureau of Indian at State-UTs
in all disaster prone areas. Standards/Builders/Developers / and Local
Contractors/ Financiers/ Lenders levels
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ISSUES RECOMMENDATIONS STAKEHOLDER ACTOR /
RESPONSIBILI
TY
Training of professionals for design construction Government/Owners/ Regulatory Government
maintenance and rehabilitation of building and Bodies/Bureau of Indian Min. of HRD,
structures in the disaster prone regions Standards/Builders/Developers / Technical
Contractors/ Financiers/ Lenders Universities &
Institutions ,
Construction
Cos.
Construction An institutional mechanism be developed for Government/ All stake holders of Government
Cost Indices continuous evaluation of various economic Construciton Industry/ Building Industry Nodal
parameters and impact of operations of other Material Manufacturers like steel Agency
sectors imparting cost of construction works. and cement plans.
Standards Adherence to Indian Standards and wherever Government/Project Owners/ Government
required international standards should be ensured Professionals/Associations/Archit BIS, State/
through regulatory provisions ects/Enginers/Builders/ Local Govts.
Contractors. Project Owners
Entrepreneurial A National plan be evolved and implemented for Government / All stake Holders of Government
Development entrepreneurial development for raising the Construction Sector Industry Nodal
capability levels of the construction industry Agency
Formation of a Action identifying a nodal organization to Government/ All stake holders of Government
Nodal implement and monitor above recommendations Construction Sector including sub-
Organization should be formulized and implemented. sectors of building materials.
Environmental A National plan to ensure adherence to the Government/Community / Government,
and Energy stipulations of the Environment Protection Act Environmentalists/ Energy Ministries of
Issues (EPA) 2006 and Energy Conservation Aspects in Producers/ Material E&F, Power,
conformity to the Energy Saving Act of 2001 be Manufacturers/Builders / NCES, CPCB
formulated , implemented and monitored by the Developers /Financiers and State PC
nodal organization suggested above. Boards
Note :
For all activities Industry Nodal Agency should support Government for planning & implementation of actions
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